Unaffected
by protejerinnocencia
Summary: The power of emotions is like no other. It makes us do crazy things and things we thought we weren't capable of. So it was for two young boys made to be enemies. But they've come to realize how much they care about one another. Lyrics by Hoobastank


**There never seems to be  
Because what I believe  
A moment I'm not trying  
To show them who I am**

16-year-old James Potter sat by the Lake on the edge of the property that was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was a balmy spring day in his sixth year at the school and the dark haired Gryffindor was enjoying the day. Normally his best friends, Remus and Sirius, would be with him but Sirius had detention and Remus was at a Prefect meeting. So James was left to his own devices, something he was not often able to do. On this particular day James was letting his thoughts wander aimlessly from Quidditch to unfinished homework to…

"Snivelly?" James muttered to himself in disbelief.

Had his mind been right? Had he just been pondering his archenemy? No it was impossible. James wouldn't spend his free time thinking about the pest of a peer that was Severus Snape.

Across the campus, a sallow skinned youth slumped in the shadows. He had been staring intently at a figure several hundred meters away. He wasn't concentrating to try and see who the figure was, for he knew exactly who it was. No the shadow dweller was using all of his mental powers to force himself into the thoughts of the beautiful creature. Now the Slytherin boy lay against cool grey stone, exhausted. He knew that his efforts had worked. He only hoped his sweet cherub would react.

Back in the sun, James shivered. He still couldn't figure out why on earth he had been thinking about Severus. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"The heat. That's what it is," he muttered to himself, pushing his body to a standing position and headed towards the building.

The granite-eyed youth caught this motion and his heart leapt in hope, only to fall again in defeat. The Gryffindor sixth-year was not coming towards him but was striding away from him. Disappointed, he too rose and entered the building. It was almost time for dinner. During the usual banter of numerous dinner conversations, Severus heard one that caught his interest but not in a good way.

"Lucius I can't believe you threw that Hufflepuff boy out a window," Narcissa Black gushed.

"Why'd you throw him out a window?" came the high-pitched sneer of Narcissa's sister, Bellatrix.

"Because the stupid git is gay," the putrid blond replied maliciously.

The eavesdropper almost choked on the piece of cornbread he was eating.

'Lucious Malfoy is homophobic?' he thought, a worried look passing through his eyes.

That was not a good thing. Now he glanced over at the Gryffindor table and locked eyes with his unattainable lover. Severus thought he caught a glint of fear mixed with wonderment as the two boys eyes met. However, James quickly averted his gaze. Upon this sudden dismissal, Severus returned his thoughts to Malfoy's strikingly unnerving comment. He should not threaten someone's life simply because of his or her sexuality.

**Why can't they understand?  
The things that they're denying?**

After dinner, James and his companions headed towards the Gryffindor Common room to, as Remus put it "indulge their minds in massive amounts of learning in a restricted length of time." In layman's terms, the three boys were going to be cramming for the following day's potions test. On their way up the stairs, the trio ran into their favorite victim of abuse, Severus.

"Oi Snivelly, run along before we transfigure you into a frog," Sirius mocked rudely.

Severus did not respond. He simply shot each of his aggressors a nasty look, although his gaze softened slightly when he turned his stare upon James. Neither Sirius nor Remus noticed but it was blatantly obvious to James. He swallowed quickly and pushed ahead of his friends, desperately wanting to remove himself from the awkward situation.

"Wonder what's with him?" Sirius muttered to Remus as they trailed after their fellow Gryffindor.

"I haven't the slightest idea," the young werewolf replied in a perplexed tone.

That night, James snuck out of the Gryffindor Tower under the protection of his invisibility cloak. He stealthily walked down the shifting staircases and into the Entrance Hall. Thinking he was safe, he uncloaked himself and let out a sigh of relief. However, the raven-haired teen was not alone.

"Potter what are you doing here?" came the unexpectedly gentle voice of Severus Snape.

"Snivelly. What the---?" James hissed.

Before he was able to finish his sentence, Snape had moved from his vigil in the shadows and placed a long-fingered hand over the astonished boy's mouth. Just being this close, physically, sent Severus's blood rushing to his ears. To his surprise, the Gryffindor did not back away. He just stood there, as if in a powerful hypnosis. In response to some primal urge, Severus released the grip over James's mouth and pulled him into shadow. Without thinking, the stony-eyed Slytherin pushed the blue-eyed sixteen-year-old against the stone wall and pressed his lips firmly to his surprised prey. Again to his astonishment, James did not pull away. In fact, it seemed that he was pressing himself as close to Severus as he could.

'_Am I making him want me?_' Severus pondered as he longed to deepen the expression of affection.

As if reading his mind, James pulled away and took a deep, steadying breath. Both boys looked intently at one another, neither wanting to break eye contact. Gently, James ran a shaky hand through Severus's shoulder-length hair.

"No," he said, as if talking to himself.

"No?" Severus repeated in a confused tone.

"No. You don't have to make me want you. I'm quite capable of doing it on my own Snivelly," James remarked with a sly grin.

"Come with me," Severus insisted, extending a sallow hand.

"Where?" James asked, grasping it firmly, confidently.

"Where we can be alone," his lover replied.

The two enamored teens snuck gracefully out of the castle and headed for the deserted Game Keeper's hut. The last inhabitant had mysteriously disappeared before the end of the boys' second year and the Headmaster had yet to find a replacement. So, the odd pair, Slytherin and Gryffindor, settled in for the night, curling up in the same bed.

**So what should I do?  
Just lay next to you  
As though I'm unaffected  
And who should I be  
When they're judging me  
As though I'm unaffected?**

"How long have you felt it?" James inquired quietly as he stroked the other boy's arm.

"I guess I've always felt it but I always ignored it, until this year," Severus sighed, rolling over to face James.

"How about you?" he asked.

"Let's just say all it took was a little kiss to convince me," the sapphire-eyed youth replied, suddenly repositioning his body so that he lay atop his pale lover.

He leaned his full lips close to the stony-eyed Slytherin and began nibbling on the soft ear lobe. The adolescent groaned as he felt a swift hand undoing the front of his nightshirt. Abruptly the nibbling ceased and Severus saw the passion filled stormy blue orbs of his enthusiast as their mouths met in an intense kiss. Severus closed his eyes and began to feel a stiffness in his groin and wondered whether James was experiencing the same thing. The kiss ended and Severus felt his shirt slide off his shoulders. The Slytherin sixth-year reached his hands up and undid the other boy's shirt and let it fall gracefully off his broad, muscular shoulders. Slowly James worked his hands down Severus's slender frame until his deft fingers found the button on his pants.

"God I never thought I'd be doing this in an old shack," Severus gasped, the hardness between his legs growing persistently stronger.

"Me either," James replied, a look of triumph on his face as he slid Severus's pants to his ankles.

"Hey no fair," Severus teased, quickly removing James's pants as well.

It was clear that both boys were enjoying intoxicating erections. By this point both teens were drenched in a thin layer of sweat. Their sticky bodies slid erotically over each other as if in some exotic dance routine. James reached a slippery hand to his face and wiped the sweat from his eyes. The friction between the two adolescents was so intense that before either boy knew it, their bodies were fully exposed.

"Oh my God!" James groaned as he felt the barrier of fabric disappear.

Severus arched his back in ecstasy, and forced himself on top of James. He had a look in his eye that James had never seen before and it scared him. In one fluid motion Severus had slid James's moist body up against the headboard and was grasping his penis in his slender fingers.

"What are you---?" James began but was cut off by the most amazing feeling he had ever felt.

Severus slid his tongue ravenously over his lover's hardened length. The texture excited his taste buds like never before. Once he finished exploring, he set a steady rhythm; back and forth. James let out a loud moan and Severus was hit with a rapid stream of cum. He worshiped it as a dry riverbed worships rain after a long drought. Quickly, Severus swallowed and removed his mouth, pushing himself up so that his eyes were level with the orgasm enveloped Gryffindor. The lanky Slytherin placed his mouth next to James's sensitive eardrum.

"Did you like that, love?" he breathed seductively.

"Yes, oh God yes!" James answered, his erection beginning to subside.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he questioned hopefully.

"Yes. I want you to promise me that you love me," Severus said, his voice suddenly demanding.

"I promise…Severus," his lover replied.

"I love you too James," Severus whispered.

With that, they fell asleep in a mass of naked limbs and twisted sheets. It had been a glorious night for the two boys but they would need all of their strength to face the masses in the morning.

**A chance they'd never give  
To ever want to live  
The life that I am made of**

The next morning, the two teens awoke in dim light. Yawning, James tried to stretch but found himself tangled in the bed sheets. Surveying the dilemma, James laughed softly.

"What's so funny?" Severus mumbled, his eyes still closed.

"Um well love you might want to roll a little to your left," James replied, still chuckling.

Severus groaned and opened his black eyes. Sighing he maneuvered his body so that he disentangled himself from the restricting covers. Having momentarily forgotten the previous night's fun, Severus rose from bed.

"Ah! Oh damn. Throw me my clothes would you," he muttered to James as he rid himself of the morning aches and pains.

James didn't answer. Instead he vaulted cat-like over the bed and wrapped his tan arms around his lover's chest. The Gryffindor nestled his nose against the milk colored shoulder of his Slytherin counterpart.

"Yes yes good morning to you too but I'm freezing my arse off," Severus moaned.

"Oh you poor thing," James cooed as he reached for Severus's nightshirt.

He slid the shirt backwards over the sallow-skinned sixteen-year-old's head and buttoned the top button. To James's satisfaction, it appeared very much like Severus was in a straightjacket.

"Is that better?" James teased.

"Very funny," Severus replied dryly.

"Hmph. Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," James called from across the room as he agilely pulled on his boxers and leapt into his pants.

Running a hand through his naturally unruly hair, James yanked on his shirt and propped his glasses on his nose. Severus was trying unsuccessfully to turn the shirt around. In the process he managed to do a complete 180-degree turn and was facing an extremely bemused James.

"You've had your fun now get me out of this," Severus growled.

"Oh alright," James answered, grabbing the black silk boxers and striped night pants from the floor on his way.

Once both boys were dressed, they snuck out of the hut and quickly made their way back to the castle. As they closed the heavy door to the Entrance Hall, numerous voices could be heard in the Great Hall. The two boys went their respective ways to get changed. Several minutes later, James slid in between Sirius and Remus at the Gryffindor Table.

"Where have you been mate?" Sirius asked as he passed James a plate of eggs.

"Oh, um…I was down at the Quidditch pitch," James stammered.

"Why?" came the serene voice of Remus.

"Well, we have a big game coming up and I want to be ready," James replied, satisfied with his fib.

Breakfast ended in silence. Several hours later, James and his friends, as well as the other Gryffindor and Slytherin sixth years sat in Defense Against the Darks Arts.

"Ok people class has begun. That means shut your mouths and yes that means you Mr. Potter," snapped Professor Winston.

"Sorry sir," James muttered.

"Indeed. Everyone, please push your desks to the edges of the room," Winston continued, ignoring James's pathetic apology.

Once all desks had been repositioned, Professor Winston marched between the haphazard lines of students. It was clear he was taking his time.

"Potter! Snape! Front and center gentlemen," the ocean-blue eyed 29-year-old teacher stated abruptly.

James and Severus glanced nervously at each other as they moved to the center of the room. James could hear the muffled mutters around him but tried to block them out.

"Your task is to force your opponent to admit their deepest, darkest secret," Winston stated with a rather sadistic looking smirk on his face.

"That's against school policy!" Remus shouted, clearly wishing to defend everyone in the class.

"Mr. Lupin, I'm well aware of school policy and if I wish to alter it then I bloody will," Professor Winston spat at the inquisitive werewolf.

"Now, begin!" Winston shouted

No one moved. Neither James nor Severus raised their wands. You could have heard a pin drop the silence was so deafening.

"I said begin!" Winston bellowed.

James jumped slightly and raised his wand. Severus did the same. Simultaneously they took a step towards each other.

"_Revelarum secretam_!" they shouted.

Their spells hit at exactly the same moment. An aquamarine light shot over both boys, causing them to shake slightly.

"Come on now let's here it," Winston urged, a device that appeared to be a muggle tape recorder in his hand.

"I'm…gay," spouted both James and Severus in unison.

"Oh how interesting," Winston snickered.

"Gay! I always knew there was something queer 'bout them," Lucius sneered.

As quickly as the spell had been cast, it had worn off. Unfortunately, the memory of confession did not disappear.

"That's right. We're gay," James repeated.

"And damn bloody proud of it," Severus added, grasping James's hand.

**There's nothing left to prove  
My heart's forever true**

Without warning, Severus pulled James to him and kissed him. Gasps arose all around them but they didn't care. They were in another world, their world where they were all that mattered.

**What is it they're afraid of?**

Before long, the skies had turned from a placid powder blue to a menacing gray. Around dinnertime, torrents of cold, harsh rain plummeted towards the school grounds. James sat at the Gryffindor table, pushing the sweet potatoes around on his plate. His friends had avoided him the entire afternoon. They hadn't even shown up to dinner. The teen laughed weakly, imagining how much Sirius was whining about missing a meal. Finally succumbing to the fact that he was not going to eat anything, James stood up and made his way out of the Great Hall. He began the long climb up to Gryffindor Tower, accompanied only by the rain pounding the exterior of the castle. A loud crash to his left made him jump as he reached the first landing. Being the curious thrill-seeker that he was, he veered from his intended path to find out what had caused the noise. He rounded the corner and found a suit of armor toppled over on the ground. A person lay amid the fallen relic. The Gryffindor slid into shadows as footsteps approached from the room opposite him. To his horror, Sirius and Remus emerged, wands pointed dangerously at their fallen victim.

"Don't you ever go near him again!" Sirius seethed, his wand shaking violently.

"You sick little son-of-a-bitch!" Remus added, his temper reaching its limits.

It was then that James recognized the pale skin and disheveled hair. But these were his friends. Why didn't they understand? He couldn't bear to see them threaten the one he loved. He emerged from the shadows with tears in his eyes.

"I thought we were friends," James spat at the two shaking Gryffindors.

"We are James. We're just protecting you," Remus said through clenched teeth.

"Protecting me from what? The one I love?" James shouted moving to place himself between Severus and his assailants.

"James you don't love him. You can't love him," Sirius begged.

"Why not?" James snarled, reaching for his own wand.

"Because…because he's a…he," his best friend stated.

"I can't believe this! I thought friends were supposed to support each other no matter what!" James breathed, wiping fresh tears from his blue eyes.

**Before they even saw my face  
They knew that I was not the same  
And decided I was not the one for you**

Without waiting for a response James turned around and pulled Severus off the ground. The couple began to move towards the stairs. Sirius made a move to go after them but Remus grabbed him by the arm.

"Remus what are you doing?" Sirius asked, struggling against his friend's werewolf grip.

"Sirius let them go. I know how it feels to be looked at with scorn and if that is who James wants to be with, then I can accept that and if you are really his friend, then so should you," Remus said, pulling his burly companion with him in the other direction.

At the bottom of the stairs leading out to the front grounds, James and Severus stood silently. Severus was bleeding from several cuts on his left forearm but seemed not to notice them. With one final moment of contemplation, James pulled Severus to him and held him as a mother cradles her newborn infant. With tears streaming down their faces, the two boys pushed open the enormous front doors and let themselves be swept up in the frigid rain.

**So what should I do?  
I'm not unaffected  
And who should I be?  
I'm not unaffected.**


End file.
